With the introduction of the light bulb in 1879, the use of candles and oil burning lamps declined until more recently when a renewed popularity for candles and oil lamps occurred. No longer man's major source of light, candles and oil lamps continue to grow in popularity and use. Today, the natural flame of candles and oil lamps has come symbolize celebration, mark romance, define ceremony, and accent decor.
To mimic the charm of candles and oil lamps, electric lamps have been developed having low output bulbs shaped and sized to resemble candle flames. A common lighting fixture includes a tall cylindrical sleeve shaped like the body of a candle. A small electric bulb with a pointed top, generally in the shape of a flame, screws into the top of sleeve. These bulbs typically have a smaller “candelabra” socket and are widely used in decorative lamp fixtures such as chandeliers and wall sconces. While these “candelabra” fixtures are popular, they fail to totally capture the charm provided by the warm glow of a natural flame.
In order to use real candles with such fixtures, candle holders have been devised to replace the electric bulbs. These “adapters” include consist of a glass bowl forming a candle holder with a threaded base that screws into an empty socket when the electric candelabra lamp is removed. A candle may then be placed in the candle holder bowl and lit for special occasions. Candle holding adapters of this kind are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,464 issued to S. J. Angelo entitled “Electric Light-to-Candle Converter” and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,456 issued to J. M. and R. E. Jwayad entitled “Light Fixture Candle Adapter.” Although both of these adapters allow candles to be used in light fixtures, they are expensive to manufacture and appear bulky when mounted on top of the socket support column commonly used in electric candelabras.
There is accordingly a need for a more attractive and less expensive arrangement for mounting candles or oil lamps in an electric lamp fixture.